Joyfull Living

I love lists!!  They seem to help keep me on track and give valuable reminders of where I'm going and what I am supposed to be doing. You would think after almost 25 years of marriage, I wouldn't need a list to know how to be a good wife...but...when I saw the title to a recent article..." 20 Little Things to Make a Big Difference in Your Marriage" , I has to take a peek. No matter how good we get in any area, there is always room for improvement.  This list of 20 Things..., is a great reminder for me to stop, slow down, remember how much I love him and to show him how special he is.  Things that can easily get thrown to the side in the midst of life. This list not only keeps me on the right track, it helps me go above and beyond to bring love and life into my marriage. Here is the list...nothing fancy, just gentle reminders of little things that truly make a big difference! 1.      Greet him warmly.  When he comes home. When he en...

"If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".  I preach this to my children all the time and attempt to practice it in daily life. Practice is the key word!!!  This week a lesson was found in the Wal Mart check out lane! Like everyone else, I like to save money, but it takes some time and effort!  But...this week, I was on top of it and equipped with my list of prices by competitor stores, headed to Wal Mart to take advantage of the 'price matching'.  Having practiced this a while now, one thing I learned (after an awful experience with an exasperated cashier and a long line of irritated and impatient shoppers behind me) is to be prepared.  Know the price and what store has it, because the cashier may have to look it up to verify it! After soccer practice, and ready to get home, I made the stop at the store to take advantage of a few items which went off sale the next day.  While greeting the cashier in a friendly manner ( a must since they w...

It is February...the month of love!!  This is the perfect time to evaluate and work on being a more loving wife!  So....an article I read asked "Are You A Kind Wife?"  What kind of question is that?  If you are a wife, you are used to serving, loving, cooking, cleaning and taking care of a husband. It's a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice and of course, a lot of love.  What does kindness have to do with it?   We know that kindness is an important character trait, especially for Christians.  While we are out and about, it usually isn't too hard to be kind to others.  But when we get home (finally), get settled to relax and dear hubby asks a favor...the battle begins between our natural desires to do what we want and whether we make the choice to seek the good of someone else.  Kindness is not an issue until it invades us and makes us choose.   "Being kind to people who are nice to us is nothing more than an exchange of emo...